


A Study in Marble

by EnidZsasz



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Art, F/M, Modern AU, Reylo - Freeform, art restoration, rey/ben solo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-09 19:10:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17412581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnidZsasz/pseuds/EnidZsasz
Summary: {One shot}Rey is a conservation artist. She works in a museum along side Rose, Finn, and the curator Poe. The Owner, and the one who brings Rey all sorts of works of Art is Luke, and sadly his twin sister, and her husband died in a place crash. However, Leia the twin, held a very extensive private art collection valued in the billions. Full of statues, paintings, and probably more then one Forgery, but Rey is exited for the paintings, all the art to come to her and be brought back to life. If only Snoke and his cronies didn't get to the heir of such a collection first. Now its all but a dream, and she is left disappointed and angry.





	A Study in Marble

Rey could be angry, but angry implied she could calm down. At first she was sad, and then, and only then came the anger. Luke was moping somewhere in his office over head, while she concentrated on removing a yellowed varnish from a truly old painting. Just another still life made by some under artist from a old master, but still important. She carefully removed the varnish, paying attention to be as delicate as possible with her gel. A lot of conservationists used this type of gel, but Rey's was just a LITTLE more experimental, she was being allowed to use on this basically 'worthless' painting. It wasn't worthless to her, even when no one knew the name of the poor student who was likely forced to paint long and boring hours of the same exact wax fruit and flowers. She'd like to have met him, in some small way, after getting intimate with the painting, as she always did. He had paid special attention to the 'veins' in a very pretty blue forget-me-not. More so then was given credit for, since there was no name for said artist she could fill in just about everything in her head to not focus on the recent utter tragedy. 

After a plane crash that carried Luke's twin sibling and her husband who were both retired and going off to 'renew' their marriage she had been sad. Who couldn't be? But then she had heard Leia, had probably one of the most expansive private collections of art that there was in the world. She had been excited, tense, waiting for all the art to come to her. Sadly Snoke, a mix of choke and snake, had gotten to the one written in the will. She didn't care about said man, and could only seethe at him, and feel like he betrayed his entire family by allowing those BASTARDS like Hux, to be the one to go over the art in cataloging and then pricing the art for auction. She'd never be able to afford any of it, and it seemed like more then one thing had been labeled as 'forgery' but quite frankly she believed in some part of her a lie. Snoke and his cronies were known to falsify that, then 'take it' off the hands of the person for more then the painting was paid for, then to wait for a few years before revealing the true nature of the painting. It was scummy and anyone in her world despised them all, and despite several suits that were all pending he still basically killed things. 

She despaired, he heard that there were some truly wonderful art there from Luke and could dream of going over it, and making it truly shine. "Heya Peanut!" Finn called to her, Rey prevented herself from jumping and flinching by almost jerking off the stool backwards. Rose who was working silently behind her in the small space moved easily to catch Rey and stop her from toppling completely. This had happened many times before and Rey righted herself to glare at Finn. 

"Finn I swear I will kill you!" Rey hissed at him, and went back to her painting. Finn made a hurt noise, before waltzing further into the room. She ignored him as he went up to Rose and kissed her on the top of her head. Rose was just brushing dust off a small bronze duplicate of some unknown statue. Lost to time the marble likely was-Rey shook her head and concentrated on getting the rest of the painting done as the two left her alone. Good, she worked better alone. "Sorry about that Sammy," she told the painting. She knew it couldn't be the 17th century artists name, but then she couldn't help but imagine the young man, a Samuel, who spent so much detail, likely with a single hair brush to paint those flower veins. He'd have brown hair, tied back like hers with a cotton strap to prevent sweating. He'd have a brush he made himself, like her, and he'd probably come from an poor family and he went into art as a way to copy masters art and make money. He probably died of small pox, or dysentery, maybe even of a slow starvation and then just the flu or cold virus. 

Rey finished the cleaning, starting out just three hours ago, and took a step out away from her work. Nodding, she quickly prepared to touch up on the lost bits of paint from its storage. "You didn't deserve to be Forgotten Sammy." she told the painting fondly. "I really appreciate the detail you've gone into, I know that can't have been easy." Rey used fairly special paints that were made to last, and made to be able to be taken off fast and easy compared to the old oil paints. "Did you mix your own pigments Sammy? Or use left overs?" she asked, and went through, her stock. These pigments are what she had to spend most of the stipend on, and she went over the painting. Using as close to possible match, but never touching the original painting. There was an ache forming in her back, but she ignored it in favor of continuing. She didn't like letting the paint dry at different times, and instead worked as fast and accurately as possible. This way it prevented some more odd things that could happen in the drying. Once that was done she set herself aside, someone had come in and left a meal silently on the table, not to close and in a completely sealed container. Her muscles ached and told her she had spent the day in wrong and horrible conditions. But the painting was almost done, and she'd only have to do the last bit of preserving varnish work tomorrow. Her newer gel recipe had worked fantastically, leaving the once dirty and gross looking painting into probably the closest it would be to when it was painted. 

Taking the meal, she passed by the lounge, checking over everything. Shutting off and unplugging the coffee machine she dumped, rinsed, and cleaned it. Along with a few forgotten cups. She was the last to leave, as almost always other then Luke. Hearing him argue lightly with another donor over the phone. "No it won't be PERFECT, that is NOT what restoration is about!" Luke said with a growl into the phone. She shook her head, and gathered her personal things, before heading out and locking up behind her. She was one of the three people with Keys, and set out to her apartment, feeling at least a little easier once she could pass out with half a cup of wine on her bed. 

* * *

 

When she saw the middle aged man waiting in very early morning hours Rey would have thought little of it, but she watched as she got a bagel and coffee at the shop just in front of the museum. He paced around the entrance, and tried the doors more then once. Frowning at the police officer who was nursing a coffee she sighed, and went out and to her job. He turned to her and she glared to him. "Its not open for another two months." she told him and folded her arms in front of her chest. He could be one of the statues Rose cleaned. Curly black hair brushed barely back to avoid getting into his dark hazel yes, and a sharp prominent nose. Wearing a black long sleeved shirt, a black sweater-vest, and slacks with VERY shiny shoes. He stared at her. "If you don't get lost, I'll call the cops." she told him, he blinked down and without a word left. Once she lost sight of him, she unlocked the door, and slipped in. Luke had been gone, likely for hours and she quickly disabled the alarm system. Always the first one in, and always the last one out, say for today. 

"REY! HEY!" Poe called as he walked down. She grimaced, trying to ignore him as she headed to the basement. Poe wouldn't exactly take 'no I don't want you' as anything but an insult. "Rey wait!" she stopped and turned to him. 

"If this is another asking for a date I will not hesitate to punch you." she told him, and Poe stopped just in front of her. 

"Geeze I heard you were in a crabby mood," he told her. She scowled and turned back to the elevator. "Wait, I'm sorry!" she stopped finger just about to open the doors. "Luke said that his nephew was going to visit here today." he told her, Rey blinked turning back to Poe as he handed her a small picture. From some kind of professional shoot. "Luke convinced him to get a second opinion on the prices of-" she pressed the button blindly. "The collection. Plus going over it to ensure the forgeries. Luke said he'd be here early, you didn't happen to see him on your way in?" She examined the photo and screamed a bit at herself. 

"Can't say I did." she said and quickly left into the elevator and tried not to think of just what she had done. It wasn't like it was going to change the mans mind on selling, destroying, and-she frowned and started her work. Her job had held up fantastically, and she wished she could keep Sammy's painting, but likely it was just going to be sold then, taken apart to help preserve a true old master. Or maybe not, maybe it will molder away in a basement, getting water damage or be spray painted... Rey blinked as the phone rang. She had just barely finished applying the layer of varnish thankfully and could leave Sammy's painting. "Hello?" she answered. 

"REY? Why did you tell Ben that you'd have him arrested?" was Luke's first words. Rey grimaced. "Look, He's... get up here now." Luke stated and hung up. He'd probably have fourteen more gray hairs and two more wrinkles by the time she got herself out and up to the top level where the offices were. When she wasn't restoring something, that is where she stayed spending most of the time catching up on her fellow restore-ers online. When she ducked into Luke's office Poe wasn't grinning and the man in question, whom she never bothered to learn the name of, was nearly smirking. 

"Yes sir?" she asked and didn't even glance at him. The smirk faded as he was utterly ignored. 

"Rey, why did you tell my nephew he was going to be arrested?" he asked her, only slightly more calm. 

"Probably because it looked like he was casing the joint to steal something?" Poe snorted into his hands and the man took a quick breath in. 

"As if there is ANYTHING here worth taking!" the man said. Rey looked to him with a glare. 

"Someone like you will never-" 

"REY!" Luke yelled and she silenced herself as the man's cheeks went red and his hands shook. "Apologize at once." She turned to him as he looked down his prominent Greek nose at her. 

"I'm sorry." she stated flatly with a glare. Luke slapped his face, and Poe went into a full chuckle. But she before he seemed to control himself he blinked, and seemed to flush. "Can I get back to work now Luke?" she asked, not bothering to look at him again. 

"REY." Luke warned. "A REAL apology. She rolled her eyes. Now Poe was laughing. "POE You are not helping!" 

"Sorry, but its just so refreshing to see people not kissing his ass!" Poe said, Rey looked to Poe, then to Luke, still refusing to look at the man beside her. 

"Why would I kiss the ass of some idiot who hired Snoke and his vultures?" Luke pressed his hands to his face. 

"Vultures?! Excuse me they valued-" the man began and she turned away from him as he tried to press into her face. He dropped off. "You have no idea who I am." he stated in a almost hush. Like he couldn't believe anyone didn't know him. 

"What are you the new messiah? Why should I CARE? You are nothing to me Luke's nephew." she replied before she could bit it off. Luke slumped into his desk, and now she graced him a look again. He actually looked truly astonished, and... happy? 

"Look Ben," Luke said, so his name was Ben, Rey snorted. "It doesn't have to be her, I will go with Poe to cata-" Luke started. 

"No I want her." Ben stated and she glared to him and the smile on his lips "Because then if anything is damaged, I can sue the soul out of her." 

"A lawyer of course..." was her only reply. He smirked down at her again, Poe had his face buried into his hands trying not to laugh. He offered a hand to her, she brushed her jacket to avoid the proffered hand. He dropped it. 

"Ben Organa-Solo. Heir to the Solo Foundation, and your current Senator." he told her. She gave him a disgusted look, and left the room without even offering her name in return. The men inside the room seemed to finalize things, Luke profusely apologizing for her behavior as if Ben wasn't his nephew and just a wealthy man. Poe followed her out giving a snort before Ben came out, holding a series of notes. Likely more of her soul then she cared to admit. "Are you ready," he flicked his gaze to them. "Mrs. Doe?" 

"Its Rey or nothing." she snapped towards him. Then satisfyingly he flushed fully now, from his ear tips to his neck. "I'll save you boring bits, I'm a orphan, sob sob cry cry, now lets go. I'd rather not spend more time then necessary with you." Poe snorted and gave her a thumbs up. It wasn't worth it to continue to try to placate him, she probably had already lost her job, so why bother? It would be years to get back to the sort of position she was in now, but then, she'd have her own time to do her own art. Or go back to fixing up furniture. 

"I'm sorry." he stated, and she blinked at him. "Ah... yes... well, follow me." he shuffled out with her and Poe on his heels. 

* * *

 

First thing when going over any sort of collection was to catalog everything. That was what Poe was doing, Rey was slower going over after him. They were ensuring everything was still there, and she could only get more and more angry as she went about the collection. There was real art here, by masters, and even a Stradivarius violin, in its original case! But no, this wasn't hers and she had to stop caring that all of this would likely be lost in the next few months. Picked apart and taken and put into vaults for the rich and wealthy to lord over as the blissful people below couldn't even glance at these pieces. "Looks like your missing a ring." Poe stated, and Ben made a snort. 

"I buried that with my mother, it was her favorite." Ben stated flatly. He was watching her go over one of the declared 'fakes' with a set of simple tools. "That one is worthles-" he began but Rey cut him off. 

"I need the history." His aid, a stuttering young man who probably had a stomach ulcer quickly got her what she wanted. Rey went over it as Ben blinked to her. She stared down the face of a utterly unknown woman, a simple portrait of some lady in Victorian garb and pale lead covered face. No name, just like 'Sammy's' painting for the artist, or the Lady in question. Done with a mostly amateur hand. Probably another apprentice to some master who had been busy. "Okay, curiosity it is." she said, and gave the material back to the aid. Mentally cataloging everything she could only marvel at some of the pieces. Truly worthy to be put in a place of honor somewhere and not moldering away. She frowned over a Edgar Degas painting. 

"That is a forgery." Ben stated, she looked to him. 

"Who says?" she asked him, now he blinked confused. 

"Armtaige Hux." the aid supplied. "he looked at it and declared it." She chuckled shaking her head. 

"And you fell for that? You need more then just a look, there is a whole process you idiot." she snapped towards him. "Poe," Rey called, and he came over with a tag. She put it on the frame, careful not to harm anything. "That will be sent for testing." 

"I don't wa-" she glared to Ben and he silenced himself. "Very well." he said. "Hux... is an expert." he told her lowly. 

"An expert on bullshit, let me guess. You don't know fuck all about paintings and art." Ben gave her an offended look. "Figures." 

"Why would that matter?" he demanded to her looming over her as she looked over a small and very much fake Egyptian chair. 

"Because when you know nothing, its easier to scam you SENATOR. Though, I really should shut up, the news would be entertaining to watch after Snoke sells that," she pointed to the Degas. "For seven times what he offered you." Ben gaped at her. 

"So they lied?" he asked her, lowly. 

"They used your trauma to try to scam you? Yes obviously." Ben let out a breath, and ran a hand through his hair. 

"You're not sorry?" he demanded. She rolled her eyes. Maybe just a little, but frankly he wasn't worth it. Her job already finished in her head, she shook her head. These chairs were made all the time not that long ago so that the pretty ladies didn't have grave goods. There wasn't any wear on it that wasn't artificially MODERN. She could count the damned saw teeth. 

"Who gives a crap about you?" she stated and moved on. Some pretty jewelry, sparkling and cubic zirconium. But that was already known, it was all the stuff around it, the gold and silver that was worth anything. A work of art, and an imitation of a diamond collar. She actually liked it, diamonds were stupid. But he sighed, and still hovered around her, probably amused at just how fucked her life was going to be. After tagging more so called 'forgeries' to be tested by actual experts in the matter instead of just a vulture she was left with Poe finalizing a few things with the aid, and now alone with Ben. 

"Hungry?" he asked her, she didn't answer, knowing her stomach was already audible. "I'm taking you to dinner." he told her. 

"HELL NO." she replied. He grinned. 

"IF you want to keep your job...." she didn't answer. "You'd loose a job over me?" 

"I'm pretty sure the public would like to know you are threatening me to get a date. I'm sure your wife would like to know at least." He shifted, and looked exactly like a teenager being caught out in a lie or being an asshole. 

"Fuck, I'm sorry..." he cringed and she arched her brows at him. "Yes well... I am sorry. Not married by the way." 

"What kind of Senator are you?" she asked him and he ran a hand through his hair. 

"A shit-... crap one. I only ran because my family wanted it." he admitted. She relaxed just a tad. "But you don't care about that do you?" 

"Sorry, but I only care about things that matter." she told him. "Which you are not." she poked a finger into his chest. He looked down at it. "These things matter a thousand times more then you could ever in a billion lifetimes." he flushed a little, and she left him there mostly confused. But thankful that she'd not to have to deal with him ever again. 

* * *

 Rey stared up at Sammy's painting trying to utterly ignore the man beside her. She had taken it upon herself to utterly ignore his presence like he didn't exist. At least this painting wasn't going to be just tossed, instead it was going in HER office, and into HER place once she got fired. Luke gave it to her since he was the owner. Probably a consolation when Ben, slightly infamous when he was younger for his tantrums, got her fired. He could, it was his right. "Hey Sammy, I like the lighting in here." she told the painting, and smiled to the painting. Ben gave her a look and she rolled her eyes. 

"Unknown artist, probably an understudy in a school," she explained to the mostly vacant air beside her. Humans after all were mostly empty space on the atomic level.... "I decided on calling him Sammy, or Samuel, a common name for the time." Ben snorted and narrowed his eyes onto the painting. "See here?" she pointed to the forget-me-not, "Sammy used a single hair paint brush to paint these veins on the flowers. He may have even used his own human hair for it!" Rey got a little more animated, and swallowed, her throat catching. "All of this work, all of this time and such, he could have made his own pigments, copied from the master painter... all and no one knows his name." Ben frowned looking down at her, and she shook her head, before glaring to the mostly empty air beside her. 

"It looks...nice?" he asked looking to her confused. She rolled her eyes. 

"Look here." she grabbed the front of his shirt, and pointed to the table in the painting, a lot more cracked then the main portion with the vase and flowers. "See how its cracked? That's from poorly mixed paint, and likely was the last thing painted when he was running out of cash." he swallowed and she let him go and went back to her desk. "But as you said, you don't CARE about that, what the hell do you want?" 

"I wanted to thank you." he said quickly. She looked to Ben and glared at him. "They confirmed the...." he faltered. 

"Degas." she supplied. He nodded. 

"That, was actually real, and not a forgery, I would have lost a lot of...." she looked away from him ignoring the rest of his spiel. After a long pause of nothing he grimaced, she didn't care, instead focusing on Sammy's painting. 

"I'm sure you're overjoyed that you can make a lot of money." she told him blankly, and ignored him further. 

"That... that's not... what I mean by saving me money!" he told her she graced him with a look. "I... look I'm sorry. I'm a better lawyer then politician."

"Obviously." she snapped, going to her computer and keying it awake to ignore him. 

"Please let me apologize to you." 

"Sure Senator SOLO." she scoffed. 

"Good, my aid will pick you up after you're done with work." Rey blinked to him, but he left before she could yell at him no. 

"GET BACK HERE!" She yelled, but he was long gone, and now she had a date with the asshole who was selling and auctioning a priceless collection. She spent the rest of the day trying to come up with a way to blow him off, but that faded as the aid came to collect her, along with the paint on her clothes that she was NOT going to change. She grimaced at the restaurant, someplace fancy, and overpriced and she was going to hate the fact she had to pay for herself because she was NOT going to let him pay. His eyes roamed over her, just like all the richly dressed patrons and waiters. 

"Thank you." he said and tried to pull her chair out for her, she beat him to it settling down. "Now, this is a mostly business." 

"Thank fuck." she commented and he flushed, shifting a little. 

"Yes... well..." he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Since this was quite the scandal in waiting...." he began as she looked over the menu looking for the cheapest items. "Two steaks, one rare, one medium. Rare for the lady." Ben stated taking her menu. He knew how she liked her steak? She glared to him. "Best to get this over with as soon as possible." he told her lowly. She rolled her eyes, sipping at the water on the table. She rolled her hand for him to continue. "Good, now, I would like to know all you know of Snoke, their tactics, and so forth." she blinked to him. 

"What?" Ben smiled at her confusion. 

"They fu-... screwed with the wrong man." he told her. 

"They usually make you sign a ton of documents..." he shrugged. "You didn't... sign them." 

"I had my aid go through them, he didn't allow me to sign them, but they believed I did, obviously eager for my mothers collection." He looked to her and smiled. "So I would like to know everything you know of what they do that you know. You do know about them don't you?" She smiled back at him. 

"If it gets Snoke and his vultures out of my field I'd sell my soul, Mr Marble." he cocked an eyebrow at her and she flushed. "Yes well, you look kinda like a greek hero...." she mumbled. "Onto Snoke..." 

"Why do you call him Snoke?" she took a drink of water, licking her lips. He looked to them and back to her eyes. 

"Snake and choke, cause I want to choke that snake to death." she commented. 

"Well sadly they got rid of the death by hanging." he said lightly and she giggled. Rey slowly went over what she knew about Snoke and his vultures, Ben listened with the patience, and grace of said marble statue making a few comments as the dinner continued, and faded into a decadent trimitsu desert she was conned into eating as he ordered it and well it was her first time with said desert. 

"Yes well, Poe and I go way back." Ben was saying just outside as they waited for a guy to bring his car around. "He's always been a hound dog." Rey chuckled smiling. 

"You?" He snorted. 

"Anger issues, my parents were always busy with their foundation, I threw a lot of tantrums because then they'd actually pay more attention then to the good I'd try not to do." She rolled her eyes. "What about you?" 

"Just a bunch of bouncing about homes, I got really into art, then into restoration. My art thesis was on how still lives were a way to make money, not for any real purpose of symbolism. They just slathered that on to be fancy." Ben chuckled, and pulled her towards the car, she swallowed. 

"Come have some coffee?" he asked her. She gave him a look. "Or... well... you know drop off... at your home." Rey sighed and pecked his cheek with a chaste kiss. 

"Coffee sounds good Ben." he flushed and as they went to his home continuously wiped his hands off on his slacks. "Soo.... about Snoke...." 

"He's not going to be able to scam anymore people after this." Rey shifted a little close to him, so he wasn't bad looking and she wasn't that angry anymore at him. "Then I will use Luke's place to showcase this... stuff." he locked his eyes with hers. She felt her heart flutter. 

"I get to..." she began and dropped off. 

"You get to clean, restore, and so forth to your hearts content." The seat belt was snapped off and with a startled noise she was on him. His hands froze just about to catch her as she shoved her tongue down his throat. They stayed just off her, as the driver coughed, and shut the window to the back. Then settled on her hips. "Its... its dangerous to..." she flicked his seatbelt off, and kissed him again after she got it off him. 

"To hell with safety. I'm clean, I'm on the pill you?"

"I've never.... I'm..." 

"Thanks okay...." she nipped his chin getting him to swear. His fingers dug a little into her hips and she giggled as this thumbs brushed a ticklish spot. They barely made it inside his bedroom, before she had him stripped, and got out of her clothes to tumble into the bed room. There was no real mention of coffee or any try to get to the kitchen and ask for some. She really could care less, but for a virgin he did have at least some condoms that weren't expired. 'Poe... he gets them for my birthday ever year' Ben tried to explain, she really didn't care about that. At the moment, she was just glad to no longer be pissed off that all that art wasn't just going to molder away in yet another private collection and instead be shared with the public so that everyone can see it that wanted to. 


End file.
